REVEREND TAMARA WOOD, 76, of Defiance, Ohio, died unexpectedly on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, at Mercy Hospital, in Defiance. Born Oct. 2, 1942, in Farmland, Ind., she was the daughter of Ralph and Helen (Mendenhall) Thornburg. On Sept. 30, 1967, she married John Wood. Tammy received her Bachelor's degree in Education and later received her Masters of Divinity. After becoming a Pastor she began her ministerial journey at Trinity and St. James Lutheran Churches in Fort Recovery. She and John then spent some time in Florida. Pastor Tammy got a call to serve in northwest Ohio and that is where she spent the rest of her life. The first call was to St. Peter Lutheran Church in Holgate, Ohio. After retiring from St. Peters, she then served as interim pastor at St. Steven Lutheran Church, Hamler. Once she left St. Steven, she moved to First Lutheran Church, Stryker until the present. "Ministry was her life!" She is survived by her husband, John; sons, Christopher Jay (Michelle) of Fort Wayne and Jason Jay (Melissa) Wood of Vicksburg, Mich.; grandson, Morgan Christopher Wood; and a brother, Steven (Betty) Thornburg of Winchester, Ind. She was preceded in death by her parents, and a nephew, Steven Daniel Thornburg. A Celebration of Life is 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 671 Clinton St., Defiance, Ohio, with visitation from 9 to 11 a.m. Bishop Daniel Baudoin presiding and Pastor Dave Brodstone officiating. Friends will also be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, at the church. Burial will follow at a later date. Contributions made in Pastor Tammy's name to the American Heart Association. To leave online condolences, please visit ZachrichFuneralHome.com Journal Gazette, The (Fort Wayne, IN) - Sunday, January 20, 2019